Going on a trip!

Last week I got two very exciting pieces of news. The first and most exciting piece of news is that one of my dear friends, Dana, is getting married this summer! I can't wait to meet the man who has won her heart :) The second piece of exciting news actually comes because of the first piece of news...I found out that Dana will be getting married in British Columbia (which, for all of my American friends who may not know, is the most western province in Canada). Brad and I had been hoping to take a trip to Wyoming this fall, but we have decided instead to go to the wedding in BC! I am super excited about the trip, and also to attend this special wedding at the end of July.

Brad and I are going to fly to Seattle (which will be an adventure in itself because we have never flown anywhere together before), stay there for a few days and do some sightseeing, and then we are going to drive about 3 hours north to Vancouver, British Columbia. We hope to stay in BC for 5 or 6 days and take some time enjoying the mountains and other amazing scenery. My aunt and uncle live in Vancouver and we are hoping to get to spend some time with them as well while we are over that way.

This will be our first big trip together and I am already enjoying the planning as we start to think of what we want to do while we are away. If anyone has been to either place and has suggestions of things we have to do/see while we're there, we'd love the input! Let the countdown begin - 9 more weeks!

On the Run

A while back I wrote a post about how I was starting running again because I had gotten some cute new running shoes...well, at that time, I did and I didn't start running again. What I mean is that I went a couple of times here and there but never really got back into it again. Then about a month ago, I read one of my friends' blogs and saw pictures of her from her 10k run...and I was back on track! I don't know why, but I find it very inspiring when I hear about other people that were able to reach their goal.

That was the kick I needed and off I went! I found a plan online (because I don't really do anything in my life without making a plan!), wrote up my calendar training schedule, and off I went. Slowly. At the pace of a turtle. There have seriously been times when I've been jogging at the park, and I come upon a person who is walking, and I think to myself, "Ok, Rach, gotta speed up a bit so that you can pass them..."!!!! HA! Yep, I'm slow and I know it. But my goal is not to win a race (because I am a realist!), but it is to finish a 5k in June and to hopefully do better than the last time. Oh yes, and I hope I can finish without feeling like I am going to DIE because that is how I felt last time and it was not pleasant!

My big encouragement so far has been having one good day. Brad has been doing some of the runs with me, but it is always impossible for me to keep up with him...until last week that is! For some reason, I had a great day and was able to keep up with him. I cannot describe the elation I felt knowing I am getting faster! Unfortunately, the next time we went it was back to slow poke. But at least I had a glimpse! And on Monday I ran a mile in just over 10 minutes, which is a lot faster than I used to be!

Here is the schedule I have been following - I am so proud of myself for actually doing it! Last week I went jogging 4 times which is a record for me - I couldn't ever make it past 3 before! I have even been doing the walking on the other days (one day this week we went bike riding with some friends which was a very nice change of pace). I'm such a nerd, but I love getting to cross off the day after I complete it!

Today we will be doing run 14, walk 1, run 14. Actually we did that yesterday as well so I know I can do it! I like doing the gradual increase of running time and still having my one little minute to recover in the middle. I think it's mostly a mental thing!

What I love about running:

• Being outside
• Being with Brad
• Cute running outfits (got a new one this week!)
• Seeing improvements
• Sleeping better at night (big deal for me)
• Being excited about an upcoming race
• MOST OF ALL - accomplishing something that is really hard for me and crossing off that I did it!

What I hate about running:

• Pain
• Feeling like I might throw up (hasn't happened too many times this year though! Yey!)
• Not being able to breathe (getting much better)
• Side stitches (they make me so mad!)

Hmmm...is it really worth it? Guess it must be because I keep going out and doing it again!

A Few Good...BOOKS?!?!?!?!

"I think I want to get a library card."

Wow. I never thought I would hear those words coming out of Brad's mouth. But when he got home from work on Monday, that is what he said to me. And after I recovered from my shock, we hopped in the truck and rushed over to the local library to get him one!

Let me explain something about Brad. He is very smart and knows about all kinds of things that are way above my head. If it's broken, he can fix it. If it comes apart, he wants to see inside and figure out how it works. I once came home and found him reading a book...but soon found that it was his motorcycle manual (yes, he was reading it for fun!). He is not the kind of guy that wants to curl up with a good book and a hot chocolate.

Until recently, that is!

All of a sudden, Brad has developed a love for reading! It is bizarre and I actually have no idea what prompted it. It's like one day he just decided he was going to start reading. I think what started it was that he found an old book he had in college (that he had never read!) and he thought it looked interesting. It was a history book about the civil war but I think it was written as a story, telling about the lives of different men during the civil war. He started going to bed a bit early every night and reading, and pretty soon he was finished with that book, so we went to the bookstore and found the sequel. He just finished that one the other day, and wanted another book right away. Hence the unbelievable words I heard on Monday:

"I think I want to get library card."

Here is Brad with his new card, as well as the book he has been reading, which is called "The Johnstown Flood" - a very morbid story about a huge flood that happened in the late 1800's that killed over 2,000 people (I know - nice, relaxing reading before bed, right?)


I am currently reading "Gone With the Wind" - I just started it but so far I love it! I'll let you know what I think when I'm finished.

Favorite Picture

I can't believe I forgot to post my favorite picture!

Visit from Abbey

This weekend, Brad's brother Chuck and his wife Karen brought their little girl, Abbey, over for a visit. They watched the race with us and hung out for a while, which was really nice because we haven't really seen them much lately. It is amazing how much Abbey has grown - she is almost 4 months old now! It is so fun to see her smiling and laughing. What a cutie!

Backyard Wildlife

For the last few days, Sadie has been going CRAZY sniffing around the backyard. Being a hound dog, she really can't help herself - when there's been a squirrel or something back there, she has to track its route around the yard. It's pretty funny to watch actually. Lately she has been really wound up every time we let her outside. She wouldn't come when we called and we could not get her to stop the sniffing!

A couple of nights ago, I went out to the sunroom to shut the door before going to bed. I suddenly noticed there was a big fat bunny sitting in the middle of the yard! It didn't notice me so I stopped to just watch it for a minute...and then all of a sudden, a little baby bunny shot out from under the steps I was standing on! It was so cute and itty bitty!

A few days ago when I got home from work, I let Sadie outside and she ran over to the spot behind the shed, and all I could see was her butt and her tail was just wagging back and forth at ninety miles an hour. It was funny but I thought maybe she was chomping on a bunny meal! I got her inside, and then Brad and I went to investigate...we found this little bunny (probably having a heart attack!) under some old shutters that are behind the shed.

We think that bunny and his (or her) family are living under the sunroom. So cute!